Improve Neck Mobility and Stiffness Within Seconds

We have all been there... the debilitating stiff neck that occurs after:

• Waking up in the morning and somehow in the middle of the night you "tweaked" your neck.
  
• Long hours sitting cramming for finals or finishing a big project in front of the computer.
• An intense workout of pull ups, lifting overhead, etc.
• Not so roomy airplane seats and carrying luggage around the airport.

In times like these you feel that you are never going to be able to turn your head without pain again..... Until now.  Here  is a quick trick to get more rotation motion in your neck.  

• Assess your neck motion, rotate your head to the right and to the left.  Find a landmark in your field of vision at the end range to mark your initial motion.  Also notice the quality of motion: is it painful and tight? where do you feel the pulling?:
  

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• Cross your arms out in front of you like "I dream of Genie".  To gain right rotation at shown in this example, you are going to rotate your trunk to the left.  Make sure to keep your head and eye gaze facing forward.  Keep your pelvis steady as you rotate your trunk to the left 10-15 times.
  

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• Now reassess your motion.  Rotate your head to the right and notice if you gained more motion.  Notice if it feels differently than before.  99.9 % of the time you will gain more motion and it will feel better.  Repeat this process for left neck rotation by moving your trunk to the right.

This is a simple and effective strategy to improve neck range of motion within seconds.  Whether you are in pain, or just have a stiff neck, use this exercise often for ongoing benefit!

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.